Sorry for the short email last week. Not a lot happened. The truth is, I was sick for the week, with what the doctor said was malaria.
BUT I'M OKAY NOW!
I went to the hospital last week, after having taken these anti malaria pills over the course of 3 days that were prescribed to me, and I did a blood test. The test confirmed that because of what the doctor prescribed and I took, there is no more malaria in my body.
The symptoms i had weren't super severe, and i think I really nipped it in the bud. I had a headache and fever and trouble eating for a couple days, and we stayed in and I rested a lot. But i am feeling totally fine now! And the blood test confirmed that I don't have malaria.
I had a nice fast Sunday study! I fasted to know how to love and connect with the Ivoiriens better. I was looking through the Christlike attributes, virtue, charity, and I had the thought to study the story of Ammon. Again.
I have gone through the story of Ammon a lot, that has been advice dad has given, but I studied it again, and I found more parallels to my mission.
Ammon was a foreigner in Ishmael. The Lamanites weren't really happy to see a Nephite coming to their land, so they did what they do with all of the Nephites that come into their land...they tied him up! What's this Nephite doing here! Maybe at this point Ammon thought, "Why am I called here? I am not getting along with this people well." When brought before the king, tied up, probably a little stressed and bothered about how he was being treated, said that he wants to stay among this people. Before teaching the first lesson, he served. He gained the confidence of the people with his humility and diligence, to the point where, after explained what Ammon did for the king's sheep, the other servants explained, "Well, we know he is a friend of the king." Maybe there was some trouble communicating between Ammon and the Lamanites, but the universal language Ammon used was service to soften the heart of the people and be accepted.
Often, I get a little tired about to not being able to communicate as clearly as i feel I can in English. I worry about people losing their confidence and trust in me as they see that i speak differently than them. But something that struck me is that I can have confidence in the imperfect communications I make as the people see that everything I do for them is to help them. This week, I really want to try losing myself in service more, so that the people, if someone asks, "Who is that white guy?" the response is, "We don't know...he doesn't speak perfectly, but he is a friend of ours. He serves us."
I really liked this study of the scriptures, and I would say that it was a response to my question of fasting.
We ate a two member's houses during new year, which was nice. A lot of delicious food. We have a young woman we are teaching, who has one good friend in the ward, and another young man who is nice to her and maybe was flirting with her? I don't know, I have lost all sense of that kind of stuff.
Elder Evans
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